Self opening cover for inflatable lifeboat



SELF OPENING COVER FOR INFLATABLE LIFEBOAT.

Filed Feb. 27, 1957 Sept. 9, 1958 .1. J. MELLON EI'AL- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L 5 L W. R U N 00 R TLC O NLS T EE WMO MN I .E l N J. m JA P 9, 1953 J. J. MELLON ETAL 2,851,078

SELF OPENING COVER FOR INFLATABLE LIFEBOAT Filed Feb. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zzzzgzzzzzuzz: L.

INVENTORS JOHN J. MELLON ARCHIE C: SCHULL Unite States Patent SELF OPENING COVER FOR INFLATABLE LIFEBOAT John J. Mellon, Gloucester City, and Archie C. Shull, N ewfield, N. J.

I Application February 27, 1957, Serial No. 642,919

3 Claims. (Cl. 15052) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) lifeboat be quickly available and inflated for use. Conse quently, lifeboats have been in use for some time which are of the collapsible type to permit their being folded compactly and carrying cases. have been used therefor which are of the type to permit the rapid and'in effect the simultaneous ejection and inflation of the boat from.

the case or enclosure. For this purpose the boat carrying cases are equipped with quick opening closures.

One specific type of carrying .case now in use is constructed of pliable material having a' slotted opening providing a pocket like compartment which receives the collapsible boat, after it has been compactly folded, through the slotted opening. The opening is usually formed lengthwise of the case between its ends and adjacent inner and outer flaps are provided and arranged to overlap and close the opening. Metallic fasteners ineluding grommets, which are fitted in apertures in one flap for receiving metallic studs which are secured to the other flap, are provided to close the compartment. With this closure arrangement pins extend through apertures in the studs to provide a locking arrangement and the pins are each attached to a common wire or rod so that they may be withdrawn from the studs by a manual operation to open the closure. for simultaneously inflating the folded boat which, in effect, ejects itself from the case when the locking pins are released.

Difiiculty has been experienced with this type of carrying case due to corrosion of the several metallic elements and the consequent mechanical defects, with the result that the closure portion of the carrying cases does not open properly when an emergency arises, particularly when a boat has been stowed over extended periods.

The present invention recognizes this problem and is directed to a substantially different closure arrangement which is simpler in construction and cheaper to manufacture and yet operative under all emergency conditions. By the present invention no metallic or corrodible structure is used to provide the carrying case closure elements. The invention involves the use of resilient nonmetallic connector elements which are permanently secured to one of the flaps and are, by virtue of their pliable and deformable characteristics, readily receivable in restricted openings in the other flap in such manner that the flaps will be maintained secured together and the collapsed boat maintained enclosed within the package under normal conditions of handling. The con- Provision is also made nector elements are specifically designed to provide for release of the flaps as the collapsed boat expands under pressure and permits its ejection through the opening.

To this end the resilient connector elements are provided with a base portion of substantial area for securement to one of the flaps, a head portion of particular construction which permits its reception in a confined aperture in the other flap, and therebetween a neck portion for receiving and locking the flaps together.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from'the following description of the annexed drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment, and wherein;

F ig. l is a perspective view showing a collapsed lifeboat and carrying case assembled as a packaged unit;

Fig. 2 is a view of a portion of Fig. 1 to show details of the closure flaps with the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the connectors shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken online 44 of Fig. 2

to show the relative positions of the closure flaps and connector when the boat is in collapsed and packaged condition; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view to show the general relative positions of the elements of Fig. 4 as they might appear when the boat is in an inflated or partially inflated'condition.

Referring to Fig. l, the carrying case is comprised of a lower equipment compartment 11 and an upper or collapsible boat carrying compartment 12. The compartments are formed of a pliable waterproof material to provide a unitary structure, and a horizontal partition" indicated at 13 extends across the case to form the compartments. The lower compartment 11 is only of interest in describing the invention in that it is for the purpose of storing survival equipment which is to be usedwhen the lifeboat is inflated and in the water; The lifeboat is shown at 14 in its collapsed o'r folded condition and a cylinder 15 of CO or other inflating medium will'be understood to be in communication with the inflatable sections of the boat 14. A rip cord 16 is connected to the cylinder and is operable by a handgrip 17 for opening the cylinder when an emergency arises for inflating the boat. boat 14 will also be understood to be connected to the carrying case in order that when the boat is inflated and ejected from the compartment, 12, the inflated boat will be attached to'the case and the equipment in compartment 11 will be recoverable for emergency use along with the boat.

In Figs. 1 and 2, two generally complemental sections 21 and 22 are formed of a pliable material and extend f upwardly from the partition 13 to terminate in vertical" side and longitudinal top edges which are secured together 9 to form the'compartment 1 2. The complemental sections, as shown, are preferably similar and each provides a portion of the top, side and end walls of compartment 12. The sections 21 and 22, being of pliable material,

permit the edges to be overlapped as sh'own in Figs.- l I and 2 to form an enclosure or to be-separated'from the shown position to form a'continuous opening along the ends and top of the 'compartment for insertion of the folded boat 14 within the compartment. The respective side and top edges are preferably provided with an inner I Patented Sept. 9, 1958.

Although not shown in the drawings, the

in the other flap for securing the sections 21 and 22 together and close the compartment. Preferably, only the longitudinal portions of the flaps are secured by the connectors 25 since it hasbeem determined thatwhen theboat is folded, as is showniin Fig.1, it will be ejected through the longitudinal portion of the openingand consequently small snap fasteners may be utilized to maintain'the side portions of the flaps closed properly Eachconnector 25., as shownin detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, is constituted ofa resilient material such as neoprene, and is constructed to provide a base or attaching portion 26 of substantial surface area in order that it may be effectively secured to the under face of the-inner flap 23 anda head or locking portion 27 which is designed to releasably secure the'outer flap 24' to inner flap 23. To this end a neck, portion 28 is formed and provides a lip 2 9,whichis of sufficient width or surface area to hold or clamp theouter flap 24 against the inner-flap 23, as is shown in Fig. 4, and maintains the complemental sections 21 and 22 closed whenproperly spaced connectors, which are attached to the inner flap 23, are received in cooperating apertures in the outer flap 24.

Since the packaged boat assemblies of Fig. lmay be subjected to roughhandling, the lips 29 of the connectors must be sufiicient in width or surface area to retain-the flap 24 within the neck portion 28. The number and spacing of the connector elements along the flaps may vary in accordance with the size of the lifeboat which is being packaged.

The head 27, however, must be so designed as to permit the outer flap 24 to be released from the neck portion 28 when a predetermined internal pressure is exerted as, for example, when the collapsed boat is inflated. To this end the head 27 of the connector is, as shown, provided with a, generally concave or dished out cavity which permits the peripheral edge of the lip 29 to be moved away from the attaching base 26 by pressure exerted on the lip by the outer flap 24 when the boat 14 is inflated and to elongate or deform the head.

In Fig. 5 the flaps 23 and 24 are shown in a position which they may be considered to assume when the boat 14 has been inflated and in condition for ejection. In the lower portion of this figure the attaching base 26 is maintained attached to the lower face of flap 23 which is shown doubled on itself or reinforced, and the head and lip'portions of the connector, are distorted from their shapes of Figs. 3 and 4 to a shape which permits the head to extend through an opening in the flap 24. As shown in Fig. 5, the openings 30 in the inner flap 23 may be made v somewhat larger than the neck 28 of the connector while the openings 31 in the outer flap 24 will be of a size to provide tight fitting engagement with the neck 28 and greater surface contact with the lip 29. As the boat 14 is inflated, the flap 24 will move to the expanded position shown in Fig. 5 while the connector head 27 will be deformed or compressed to the elongated shape and position shown in Fig. 5

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is: V

1. In an envelope for storing an inflatable lifeboat wherein the envelope has an opening formed of spaced 65 opposed edges for receiving the lifeboat in folded form and one of said edges provides a flexible inner marginal flap while the other edge provides a flexible outer marginal flap and said flaps are secured in overlapping relation to close the opening, the improvement which comprises a plurality of connectors; each connector having a base secured to said inner marginal flap, a head which extends toward said outer marginal flap and a neck between and interconnecting the base and the head; said head being constructed of deformable material of substantial thickness providing an inner lip portion which forms a space with the base of the connector, a cavity forming a depression in the head having a depth of approximately the thickness of the head which permits the head to be distended manually from normal shape and the lip portion to be moved away from the base for passage of the head through a cooperating aperture in the outer marginal flap and then to return to normal shape with the lip portion securing the outer marginal flap within said space whereby upon inflation of the lifeboat to a predetermined pressure the head will again become distended releasing the outer marginal flap and the lifeboat ejected through said openmg,

2. In an envelope for storing an inflatable lifeboat wherein the envelope has a longitudinal opening formed of spaced opposed longitudinal edges for receiving the lifeboat in folded form and one of said edges provides a flexible inner marginal flap while the other edge provides a flexible outer marginal flap and said flaps are secured in overlapping relation to close the opening, the improvement which. comprises a plurality of connectors; each connector having a base secured to said inner marginal flap, a head which extends toward said outer marginal flap and a neck between and interconnecting the base and the head; said head being constructed of deformable material of substantial thickness providing an inner lip portion which forms a space with the base of the connector, a cavity forming a depression in the head having a depth of approximately the thickness of the head which permits the head to be distended manually from normal shape and the lipiportion to be moved away from the base for passage of the head through a cooperating aperture in the outer marginal flap and then to return to normal shape with the lip portion securing the outer marginal flap within said space whereby upon inflation of the lifeboat to a predetermined pressure the head will again become distended releasing the outer marginal flap and the lifeboat ejected through said longitudinal opening.

3. The improvement in an envelope for storing an in flatable lifeboat as defined in claim 2 further characterized by the base of each connector being secured to the undersurface of the inner flap and the space formed by the lip portion of the connector head receiving both the inner and outer marginal flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,184,250 Chaffee Dec. 19, 1939 2,444,859 Sturtevant July 6, 1948 2,733,067 Moore et a1. Jan. 31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 588,871 Great Britain June 5, 1947 

